Jobs Lane, 1664, Southampton

JOBS LANE, 1664, SOUTHAMPTON

It may seem strange that the Lane was not opened until sixteen years after Main Street (Ye Towne Street) was laid out–in 1648. The reason is that an impassable swamp extended north from Lake Agawam. The first dry-shod crossing to the western part of the Village was at Jagger’s Lane–about a quarter mile north of Job’s. Later, a portion of the swamp was filled in and Job’s Lane became the thoroughfare to the west. — The Tercentenary of Job’s Lane, Southampton, Long Island, 1664–1964.

Job Sayre’s cows made Job’s Lane by wearing a path from their barnyard down to the pond to get a drink and then on to broad pastures beyond the pond. — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.

The Rogers Memorial Library. Robert Henderson Robertson, architect.

The Rogers Memorial Library was made possible in 1895 by the will of Harriet Jones Rogers, who gave her Main Street home and ten thousand dollars with which to found a village library. A group of able and far-seeing citizens organized as a library committee wisely decided to sell the Rogers home, and with the funds derived from the sale buy the Academy property on the corner, where they planned and had built…the beautiful library building. — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.

The Parrish Museum of Southampton, founded in 1897 by Samuel L. Parrish, was intended to be the most important and ambitious of Mr. Parrish’s many public benefactions. Starting with the center section, the building was enlarged in 1902 and again in 1912. After this last improvement, Mr. Robert DeForrest, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, referred to it as an “original, artistic and architecturally beautiful building, housing a collection of well selected art treasures, and surrounded by beautiful lawns and gardens; a model for anyone planning a museum for other localities. — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.

The business buildings of Job’s Lane were built to meet the demands of expanding activity rather than to enhance the beauty of the street. Architecturally, their extreme simplicity is only surpassed by their wide variety. The unpretentious rural atmosphere has prompted many of the better New York merchants to establish branch shops on Job’s Lane, some of whom have bought their business sites and become permanent fixtures. — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.

Built in 1833, the mission of the time honored Academy became a mere duplication of effort as its education field was presently covered by the modern public school system. The Library Committee, having acquired the property, sold the Academy building, which in 1895 was moved to the lower end of Job’s Lane, where it now stands facing Monument Square. In its present location the building has had several owners and housed many activities, such as a carpenter’s shop, a carriage painting shop, a pool parlor, the Elks Hall, now in part a tobacco and stationery store. — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.

Two monuments of outstanding originality and beauty grace the lower end of Job’s Lane. The one in the triangle was built about the turn of the century, largely through the industry and influence of General Thomas H. Barber, who procured most of the material from the War Department. This monument commemorates the men of the Civil War and the Spanish American War. The classic arch in the park commemorates the soldiers of the first World War — “A History of Job’s Lane” by John O. Elliston, 1952, published by the Pelletreau Publishing Company.)